Igliashon, just curious: do you exclude all oils, or just the heavily oxidized industrial seed oils loaded with O6? Is coconut oil or olive oil out, too?

All oils. No exceptions. No olive, no coconut, no butter or lard. My fats come directly from whole plant and animal foods, like nuts, seeds, eggs, and grains. I eat around 2-4 oz of nuts and seeds a day. I've lost all of my excess weight, even if I drink two or three big beers a day, and I never feel hungry, as long as I eat when I'm supposed to.

As far as grains and gut-health, I'm not aware of any peer-reviewed literature studying the effects of traditionally-fermented grain preparations on gut health, i.e. comparing them to grain-free diets and modern (unfermented, industrially-processed) grain-based diets. If you know of any research, I'd love to see it, but if not, I'd suggest against making claims about whether such a traditional grain-based diet is good or bad for gut health. For all I know, it may not be much better, but at least theoretically there seems to be reason to suspect it should be fine.

Of course, when it comes to health and nutrition, it's easy to make inferences, but it's hard to actually prove anything; this is why I favor the "Eat to Live" diet--everything is rigorously backed up by peer-reviewed studies. The main difference between ETL and Paleo, so far as I can tell, is in the quantity of meat recommended (very low in ETL, pretty high in Paleo), and the attitude toward legumes (recommended in ETL, rejected in Paleo). ETL has a lot of scientific studies on its side; I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't.

As far as grains and gut-health, I'm not aware of any peer-reviewed literature studying the effects of traditionally-fermented grain preparations on gut health, i.e. comparing them to grain-free diets and modern (unfermented, industrially-processed) grain-based diets. If you know of any research, I'd love to see it, but if not, I'd suggest against making claims about whether such a traditional grain-based diet is good or bad for gut health. For all I know, it may not be much better, but at least theoretically there seems to be reason to suspect it should be fine.

I guess I wouldn't say they're definitely bad. I don't eat them because (a) they might impact gut health, (b) it's a PITA to prepare them the traditional way, and (c) their nutrient density pales in comparison to meat and vegetables, so I don't really see the need. I see some potential downside with the lectins that aren't eliminated through traditional preparation, and really no upside.

Also, as you mentioned, the modern grains are different than grains of even 50 years ago, so I don't have any faith that the "bad" is gone through traditional preparation of modern grains.

In any event, paleo and ETL both seem like a fairly decent way to reduce 99% of the garbage from your diet, and we're really talking about fine-tuning that other 1%.

Great article, thanks! I'll add it to my library. Only wish it addressed legumes in more depth, as that's one big area of contention between Paleo and ETL. The take-away point about grains being not worth the trouble to render into a more digestible form is a good one; even conceding that yeah, our ancestors survived on grains for a long time and were able to digest them just fine, it still makes little sense to eat them today, when there are more nutrient-dense sources of calories so readily available.

+1 for brewing a gluten free beer. Do an all grain brew to be really primal and avoid weird ingredients. The malting and fermentation is going to take care of the phytic acid, lectins, and all of the other anti-nutrients that make grains a harmful food. Making grains the bulk of a diet, especially when they aren't prepared right is harmful but the occasional consumption of properly treating GF grains is not bad. There are more nutrient dense foods for sure, but making your diet as nutrient dense as possible doesn't need to be so regimented. Eat primarily paleo and occasionally eat some properly prepared gluten free grains or gf beer whenever you're craving them.

Just wanted to chime in regarding the Paleo eating lifestyle. Paleo is definitely not the new fitness "religion". People who speak negatively of it have most likely never stuck to it long enough to reap the benefits from it.

I lost about 35 LB in 7 months without exercising by eating Paleo. I stumbled a bit last year and got off of it and gained back about 15 LB in less than a year. My once chronic headaches disappeared after a month or so during that 7 month period, but they returned after I got off Paleo. I started back again on Jan. 2nd of this year, and I've dropped 7 LB without exercising. I feel much better already. My 57 year old father-in-law (who recently had a quadruple bypass) started eating Paleo several months ago. He doesn't have to take as many pills now, because his blood pressure and cholesterol are now awesome, and he's dropped a lot of weight. My 2 year old son had RSV when he was just a few months old. He had respiratory problems and congestion ever since until a couple months after switching to Paleo eating. Since we switched to Paleo, we've put his nebulizer away in the closet.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but it's something that I'm pretty passionate about. I realize that there are fad diets out there, but Paleo is not a diet, it's a lifestyle; a lifestyle that works for me and my family.

To return to the question of making a paleo beer, if you don't mind using an enzyme formula, I'd recommend using sweet potato and bananas (or plantains) as a malt base. I've used them both in beers alongside gluten-free grains and had good results; you can even roast them in the oven for some deeper color and roasty flavors. Both will convert quite readily if you roast/bake them first; some sources suggest they can actually convert themselves if mashed properly (though I've had no luck with this). The addition of dates and/or chestnuts could be helpful for flavors as well. I could put together an experimental recipe using these ingredients if anyone is interested.

I haven't used raw dates, but I've used date sugar (or maybe it was palm sugar?) to good effect. Dates have a pretty neutral sweet taste when raw, but I'll bet they could be roasted and caramelized for good effect. Maybe once I finish brewing my AHA NHC beers I'll take a stab at something paleo, just for giggles.